Woman dies while cave diving in Suwannee County

July 9, 2010

DOWLING PARK, Fla. (AP) — A north Florida woman reportedly died while cave diving at Peacock Springs in Suwannee County.

The sheriff's office reports that 67-year-old Patricia Barkley had been diving with a partner Wednesday when she signaled to him with her light and then took off in the other direction. The partner told deputies that he caught up with her and put her hand on the safety cable, and they began swimming toward the exit. When the partner looked back, Barkley was swimming in the opposite direction.

After 20 minutes of searching, the partner resurfaced and called for help. Recovery divers found Barkley about an hour later, 830 feet from the nearest exit and 53 feet under the water.